Encapsulated intense sweeteners have a particular advantage when included in gum compositions such as chewing gum and bubble gum compositions. The encapsulated sweeteners are not immediately released as sugar would be when included in a chewing gum. By contrast, an encapsulated sweetener composition provides extended sweetening on chewing because the sweetener is not released until the encapsulating material has been subjected to mastication.
Intense sweeteners such as aspartame (APM) and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) have been used in encapsulated compositions in combination with high molecular weight polymers which allow for their slow release upon chewing in a gum composition.
Sucralose is another popular intense sweetener which is derived from sucrose in which one or more hydroxy groups are replaced by chlorine atoms. This compound is described in U.K. Patent No. 1,543,167, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Sucralose may be referred to by different chemical names including: 4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl, 1,6-dichloro1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructofuranoside, and known as 4,1′,6′,-trichloro-4,1′,6′-trideoxygalactosucrose.
Sucralose is relatively stable and inert. This stability includes exhibiting stability in acid aqueous solutions, in marked contrast to peptide-based sweeteners such as aspartame. Under completely dry conditions, however, sucralose which is present in a crystalline form tends to discolor in response to elevated temperatures. For example, such discoloration can be exhibited after twenty minutes of exposure of pure dry sucralose to a temperature of 100° C., wherein the color changes to a pale brown. This degradation of sucralose results in a commercially unacceptable product. This high temperature instability of sucralose has made it commercially impractical to prepare an encapsulated sucralose with the extrusion techniques used to prepare the encapsulated APM and Ace-K compositions.
The heat stability issues of sucralose were addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,797 to Cherukuri, et al. Cherukuri provides a method of preparing a co-crystallized/precipitated complex of cyclodextrin and sucralose which reduces the degradation of the sucralose when the complex is exposed to heat. The method of Cherukuri uses an organic solvent, such as methanol, in the co-crystallization in order to allow the method to be conducted at room temperature. The co-crystallized/precipitated complex must then be subjected to an additional process step to ensure removal of the methanol, a highly toxic material. Proper handling and disposal of methanol is also required in such a process and is undesirable in view of environmental concerns.
There is a need for an encapsulated sucralose composition having enhanced stability and which may be used in a variety of compositions including gum compositions.
The compositions of some embodiments are designed to enhance the stability of actives contained therein and to make them more resistant to heat both during processing and during storage.